Where do you sit? Or stand?

This time of year? Wherever the sun is!

Twelve years of all different sports and fields and I never sat in a lawn chair. Don't even own one.

Behind the backstop if I can ,son is a catcher who now seems to be a pitcher and I offer whatever advice I may think the ump needs.

Good question!

Love it during home games - in the press box! Can't hear a thing except cheering, the clink of the bat, the pop of the catcher's glove, my own voice and 2Bdad's, and music.

Away games, usually right in the stands with everyone else unless we remember our chairs. Then it's along the visitor's baseline. We get to hear all the gripes about coaches, my son ought to be at ss, hitting 1-3 etc. on both sides! On Tuesday, we got to listen to a dad from the opposing team holler at his son who was pitching. "PITCH the ball!!!" What a jerk. And of course the poor kid plunked the next batter.

Sheesh. Makes us miss home games.

quote:

I offer whatever advice I may think the ump needs. 14

I like that! That's the one thing I like about away games.

I sit in the dugout 90% if I'm at a high school baseball game, I'm working.

When I was playing, my dad was in the dugout until my senior year. Then, for home games, he stood in the bullpen down the left field line. For away games, he would try to stay down the line somewhere normally with the head coach's dad. No, that didn't get me more playing time

I LOVE this question. When I played Dixie Youth, 40 years ago, my dad stood along the left field fence, far away from everyone else. I never understood why until my son got to high school. Too much griping and complaining in the bleachers. I then started taking my folding chair and set it up about 280 feet down the right field line. That way I could "coach" without anyone hearing me. I stayed there throughout his HS career, except when working the gate, etc.

Now that he is in college I generally sit with the other parents. College parents are much better to sit with, generally, than HS parents. However, sometimes when he is pitching I will still stand along one of the foul lines, far away from home plate. Tuesday night, in one of the biggest starts of his career, I stood down the LF line, about as far from homeplate as I could get, just like my old mad did. Around the 3rd inning I turned around and standing behind me was a guy I had played with 40 years ago. Felt a little like I was in the Twilight Zone.

Usually down the line a bit beyond 3rd or 1st depending on whether we're home or away. Both boys have pitched a lot and I like to stay away from the crowd noise and negative chatter. Sometimes I'll wander behind the backstop to see the umpires zone and pitch movement but won't stay long.
I also like to chat with parents from the other team and listen to their stories, but usually not while my son is pitching, then I stay to myself and keep my mouth shut.

I'm a fan of down the lines. It doesn't matter which.

MTH: very nice about the old friend.

quote:

Originally posted by 2Bmom:

quote:

I offer whatever advice I may think the ump needs. 14

I like that! That's the one thing I like about away games.

bad idea..... ...repeat this over and over....never never never a good idea to antagonize an umpire.....you need him to focus on the ball not on your voice....

I used to stay on the 3rd base line.....I would never sit in the stands...

there were a number of reasons, I couldnt bear to hear the other parents criticisms of the coaching staff, team, and players..... so to keep my mouth shut I left....

also when parents know you are an umpire, you are constantly being asked to give/confirm rules and criticize calls....which if I am not on the field I will never do.....

Freshman year I kept a book to keep me occupied and sat in the stands, as it was my first year not coaching him. His sophomore and junior years I mainly stayed in RF, due mostly to my wife who didn't like sitting with me. This year I'm either in my seat (Yes, next to my wife!), or behind the backstop with the other dads. I've also been given Photo Duty at each game for our Team Facebook Page. Senior year appears to be a little easier to relax and enjoy...But it doesn't mean I have to stay in my seat!

Any place that has the mojo. In other words I move around until they have a good inning pitching or a good at bat. Sometimes that means I have two different lucky spots in one game. I have circled the field on many occasions.

My oldest had a rough first game in the big leagues. In the second inning at one point in time he threw 18 straight balls. I was in his agents box and after sitting or standing in every seat and position in that little area I eventually set myself free and began wondering the halls of Angel stadium looking for the perfect spot. Needless to say my best efforts went to naught and I had a hard time talking my way back through security to the agents box. I eventually had to call my wife and have her send the agent out to get me past security. A little embarrassing.

quote:

Originally posted by deldad:
Any place that has the mojo. In other words I move around until they have a good inning pitching or a good at bat. Sometimes that means I have two different lucky spots in one game. I have circled the field on many occasions.

So true deldad. If my legs are crossed when my son gets a hit, you know they'll be crossed again next AB. If he pitched well when I wore a certain shirt/hat...I'll follow it up again next time he toes the rubber...I'm just a little superstitious!

Behind homeplate is my preferred spot as I liked to catch when I was younger. I just like the catchers perspective. My kids are pitchers, so I like to see if they are hitting there spots and have movement. If there is too much talking or parent griping behind the plate, I will pop in my earphones and listen to the iPod on low.

I always liked being as far away as possible from other people. There were times when that was impossible, though. How many cheer and who doesn't? I was always quiet as a mouse. Lot's of mumbling to myself.

When my son was in high school, I was the score board keeper so I got to sit up on a platform behind home plate. Took the job because I couldn't stand the complaining of some of the parents in the stands.
Now that he's in college, I sit in the stands for about 3 or 4 innings then head down the right field fence where a couple of other parents are and watch until son goes to warm up in the bullpen then head back to the bleachers to sit just in front of another parent who is also an umpire and listen to his comments about the game umpires, which most of the time he agrees with the call.

When I was a kid, my dad used to pull his pickup to the centerfield fence and sit in the back in a lawn chair.

I learned why during one of my son's first LL games!

On days my son was pitching you would usually find me down the line or out by the outfield fence. On days he was a position player, I hung out with the other dads and coached from the sidelines

close to the backstop if possible.

I will also tell you where I never sit or stand.... With any parent who is negative.

Except one time when an opposing fan was so completely obnoxious that I went and sat right next to him and chatted so much about how great his "player" was that he stopped heckling ours.

.

"Lot's of mumbling to myself."

I knew it! I just knew it! That was you! With the bag of Made-Rites©. Right?

You probably don't remember me PG, but I was the guy out beyond the left field fence, just keeping to myself, and trying to make snow angels in the dandelion patch after they had gone to seed.

I thought your mumbling was an attempt to keep the dandelion seeds from seeking a fertile spot between your teeth. It made sense at the time, but now I know better.




.

quote:

If he pitched well when I wore a certain shirt/hat

I had "lucky shorts" for an entire year. We realized I was wearing them in a few key wins. I had to wear them every game for a whole season. UGHHH I hated those shorts when the season ended but I wore them.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
How many cheer and who doesn't? I was always quiet as a mouse. Lot's of mumbling to myself.

That would be me, I suppose I'm too quiet!

Usually with the rest of the parents, unless (baseball glove in hand) I am guarding Mrs. OBC because she is taking pictures and may get hit by a stray ball.

Otherwise, at our high school field, I would sometimes set up behind home plate to see where the outside corner was for an ump...

My favorite place is out by the left field fence in a lawnchair away from other parents. As a pitcher's mom, I do NOT want to be behind the backstop. I want to be in a position where I can in no way question the ump! I also tired very quickly of the other parent's negativity.

And whatever baseball earrings I'm wearing, I wear them every game until they lose.

I love college ball. Parents are so much more respectful of the coaches. Only one university so far has had parents who were bush league. They were so bad that students behind us got up and left but not before they apologized to us for such a poor representation of their school. I felt bad for them, they were so embarrassed.

I stay down the line, watch the game and then meet my son after it's over to tell him I was proud to watch him. It's his game now, not mine.

Fun thread. I am with the majority and sit away from THOSE "parents". Home games you will find me up on the hill, beach chair and scorebook in hand along with my Dunkin' Donuts coffee. It is starting to get a little crowded up there once you see the view.
Away games I tried to find a spot or do some wandering here and there, we have a few parents who may be right, but they are so wrong. I prefer to let the coaches coach and the players play. I am more the words of encouragement cheerer.
Two weeks till the first scrimmage, uugggghhhh can not wait!

During HS school games I never sat, always stood somewhat away down the dugout side (weather it was the left or right field side). Our home field had terrible sight lines, and you always had to get a little bit back off the field to see the game.

Now that he is in college, I find myself sitting in the stands with the other parents, and making a whole group of new friends. Also, the fields are a bit better as far as seeing the field.

As far as possible away from my MIL, that woman nevers shuts up. FIL is ok and fun, he loves watching his grandson. But its impossible to watch a game with the MIL, she just runs her mouth the whole game and never sees a bit of it.

quote:

Originally posted by Selkirk:
As far as possible away from my MIL, that woman nevers shuts up. FIL is ok and fun, he loves watching his grandson. But its impossible to watch a game with the MIL, she just runs her mouth the whole game and never sees a bit of it.

Now, in five years when you answer the thread "remember you first post" we'll see if you got in trouble for that one!

Before HS I was a LLcoach so I stood at 1st or 3rd base in the box or dugout door but for travelball I would sit and watch from 3rd base side,if son was playing 3rd or if pitching or if playing 1stbase then close to 1st base. Son plays 3rd/1st pitcher.
I don't cheer much and I don't coach from the wrong side of the fence.
Now in High school When son is pitching I sit on 3rd base side or some times behide home plate to take a photo or two.
I love to hear the other Teams parents talk about him pitching not knowing I'm his dad , and I don't tell them.
When he is hitting I some times move to other side by 1st base area,for home game thats where I should be anyway,
I can never sit a whole game.

At MLB Minor ball,
college ect. I love to sit /\ inbetween home and 1st. \/. I Only move at these games after I'm full of beer and have to make more room.

I am mostly in the stands with other parents. On occasion, if '15 son is on the mound or behind the plate in a tense inning, I may find myself walking around a bit. Or, if the strike zone is elusive, I may stroll over behind the backstop in order to better telepathically communicate the solution to the pitcher or the plate ump.

I am lucky in that when I do sit still, I can be with a nice group of parents who don't complain and are much more likely to cheer for the other kids on the team than their own. Several of us have coached and, aside from our occasional collective wisdom about sending that runner or bunting that three hole hitter, we generally are perfectly happy to have someone else making all the decisions.

My kids are still too young but my Dad always sat/stood as far away from the field as possible. It was the running joke on the team to try and guess where he would be. My high school field had a girls' lacrosse field in deep RF and a small parking lot beyond that. He would sit in his car and watch my game THROUGH a lacrosse game. But here's the thing. He never missed a thing! He wanted nothing to do with umps, parents, coaches, fans, etc. He just wanted to watch. I'd come home and he'd say "Nice decoy in the 3rd inning." Nobody near the field even saw it and he was 300 yards away! I was very fortunate.

BaseballByTheYard

Centerfield,

During his high school days I wanted to be as far away from my son as possible, its his game, his life, he doesn't need to be watching me/trying to please me.

Besides we get to umpire and play monday morning quarterback and nobody hears us (and we love his HS coach)

Its been different in college, stand up or sit as far back as I can.

Great topic.
Like most explayers and coaches I have a tendency to stay away from the stands. I am fortunate I have a HS Junior Pitcher and a HS Freshman Catcher. I love to watch the Junior work, but from a distance as when he steps across that white line to pitch he transforms into a zone and I do not want to have any influence on that, as I have learned that he does great when I am not in view. Never quite seen a 17 year old focus like he does.

Now the Catcher thats another story I love watching him up close but with no COMMENTS at all due to his close proximity to me and the UMPIRE. To all you umpires he is a kid you want in front of you and he has been told that on many occassions

Now my wife is another story, god love her. She keeps a book and CHEERS for every player on the the team EQUALLY with nothing but positive cheers. In fact when playing with the showcase teams she was the spirit of the mom's. She has taught several of them how to keep a book and understand the game. She's the best mom any BASEBALL player could ever have. When the boys are competing at the HS level against one another there is still a strong bond with these families. Its amzing how that works.

Oh by the way we do not sit together. Imagine that.

I am on the road for work and miss too many
games.When I am lucky enough to be home I
sit near the backstop, both sons catch
and occasionally pitch. When they do pitch
I tend to get antsy and will pace the foul
lines.

My wife sits in the top of the bleachers directly under the pressbox for the entire game.

I stand with a few of the Dads I've become friends with over the last couple years. But when my son is pitching...I spend time on the bleachers, behind the bleachers, by the gate, outside the gate, down the left field line just past the dugout,by the snack bar, standing in the opposing teams Dads(to overhear their take on the game), back in the bleachers, all in one game. One thing I do not do is yell instructions to my son or heckle the blue no matter how bad he may be. I let the coaches coach and I've never seen an ump adjust to someone else's idea of where the zone should be.

quote:

Originally posted by WinBuc44:
One thing I do not do is yell instructions to my son

It was dead silent in the gym when my brother in law yelled out "Concentrate!", right before my nephew shot a free throw. The kid missed by a mile. He was furious. He didn't talk to his dad for a week.

That happened years ago. Nephew's grown up now, but we still yell "Concentrate!" whenever he's playing stuff like jenga or miniature golf. And he always messes up. And he still gets mad.

I have gone through all the phases - sit away, sit with the parents (they don't bother me, they're fun when you get to know them), stand near the opposing parents and listen to their comments, pace, bring a chair, sit in the car.

Depends on what mood I'm in, I guess.

Mostly I try to not to say anything stupid.

BTW, antz, great story.

I usually start along the outfield fence with some of the other parents. If one of them starts to get on my nerves talking about his kid or the coach or playing time, I wander away and look for a spot I can be by myself for a while.

My spot (and reason for the spot) can vary frequently. Sometimes with the Dads, sometimes behind the backstop, sometimes with friends who's son is on the opposing team...but it won't be in the bleachers...Just can't sit during the games...same thing has been true since he was 9...maybe next year when he's in college...

My favorite spot of all is near the coach's box on either the 1B or 3B line just inside the fence...That's where our schools put the press boxes for photographers...Planning on spending lots of time there this year...and yes, I'll post a few photos this year...Edit to clarify - the "press boxes" are just chalked lines that dictate out of play areas for the photographers to stand...